Ileana D'Cruz opens up about being constantly body shamed since hitting puberty

Ileana D'Cruz has opened up about her experience with body shaming . She stated that it 'takes a lot of inner strength' to convince oneself that 'what they are saying doesn't matter'.

Actor Ileana D'Cruz has opened up about being body shamed since she was a child. She said that it 'takes a lot of inner strength' to convince oneself that 'what they are saying doesn't matter'. The Barfi! actor also said that 'your opinion about yourself is what matters the most'.

"I remember those days like it was yesterday. It's weird because it's a very deeply ingrained scar. I went through body-shaming right from the time I was 12. I had just hit puberty and growing up. You are hit with these weird comments. And people are passing comments about your body and saying, 'Oh My God, why is your butt so big?' And I am like, 'What do you mean?' You think you are fine and then suddenly you have random people saying things about you and you start to believe what they are saying. So I think it's a deeply ingrained scar because you are carrying it for so many years. It takes a lot of inner strength to tell yourself that what they are saying doesn't matter. What your feel about yourself is most important. And it's something I tell myself every single day," she told Bollywood Bubble in an interview.

"Because I go through it every day. I have at least 10 messages that I can find on my Instagram right now about body shaming for sure. So there's always going to be somebody saying something about you and it's harsh. And as much as I would like to tell people can you please be more kind more sensitive because you don't understand how much it can affect somebody else. The only thing that's in your control is you and how you think about yourself. So I would constantly just tell people your opinion about yourself is what matters the most. The hell with the world, the hell with what they think. Only your opinion matters. You are someone who is going to live with your body. There are days when I am like, 'I don't like this. Is my stomach too bloated?' But now I am like, 'No it's fine, there's a uterus in there so it's fine. It's alright. It's not gonna be flat," she also added.

Recently, in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Ileana spoke about body dysmorphia and also highlighted that she now focuses on the good rather than her flaws. The 34-year-old actor had said that over the years she has realised that nobody is perfect, adding that "the moment you make your peace with that is the moment you actually get to a better state of mind".

In 2017, Ileana had first opened up about her body image issues, and since then, she has been vocal about it. She has been using social media to share moments of her journey towards accepting her body. In March this year, during an Instagram Ask Me Anything session, the actor denied having had any cosmetic surgeries done.

Ileana was last seen in The Big Bull in which she played the role of a journalist, Meera Rao. She will be next seen in Unfair & Lovely along with Randeep Hooda.